Submission to the Inquiry Into the Migration
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Project Safecom News and Updates Thursday, 25 January 2018
Project SafeCom News and Updates Thursday, 25 January 2018 Support us by making periodic donations: https://www.safecom.org.au/donate.htm 1. Parents demand Aung San Suu Kyi is cut from children’s book of role models 2. Sexual harassment and assault rife at United Nations, staff claim 3. Same-sex marriage sparks push for Australian bill of rights 4. Cate Blanchett urges Davos to give refugees more compassion 5. Australia's human rights record attacked in global report for 'serious shortcomings' 6. Declassified government documents: Refugee status reforms 7. Second group of Manus Island refugees depart for US under resettlement deal 8. Second group of refugees leave Manus bound for the United States 9. MEDIA RELEASE: Nauru refugees petition against delays and exclusion from the US 10. MEDIA RELEASE: Hunger strike over detention visit restrictions continues 11. Immigration detainees launch hunger strike 12. Malcolm Turnbull, Jacinda Ardern at odds over claim New Zealand is fuelling people smuggling 13. John Birmingham: There are votes in race-baiting and that's a stain on us all 14. Joumanah El Matrah: The feared other: Peter Dutton's and Australia's pathology around race 15. Labor lambasts Dutton for 'playing to the crowd' over Melbourne crime comments 16. Legal body says rule of law threatened after Dutton's criticism of judiciary 17. Greg Barns: Time to challenge the type of politics that plays the fear card 18. Dutton refuses Senate order to release details of refugee service contracts on Manus 19. Dutton's attacks on the judiciary are anything but conservative 20. -
Australia's Role in Detention
AN ATTEMPT TO EVADE LIABILITY: AUSTRALIA’S ROLE IN DETENTION CENTER ABUSE AND THE REFOULEMENT OF SRI LANKAN ASYLUM SEEKERS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE Carson Masters* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 670 II. THE PROBLEMS AND INSTANCES .................................................... 671 A. Australia’s Lack of a Bill of Rights or a Charter of Rights ...... 671 B. The Road to Offshore Detention Centers ................................. 672 C. The Murder of Reza Barati ....................................................... 676 D. The Return of the Tamil Population to Sri Lanka .................... 678 III. APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISPRUDENCE ........................................ 682 A. What Exactly Constitutes “Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” ..................................... 685 B. What Constitutes “substantial grounds” in Deciding Refoulement .............................................................................. 687 IV. AUSTRALIA VIOLATED THE CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE ...... 692 A. The Murder of Reza Barati and the Subsequent Torture of Eyewitnesses Violated the Convention Against Torture ........... 692 B. Inadequate Screening and Return of Sri Lankan Aslum Seekers of the Tamil Ethnicity .................................................. 694 V. CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 698 * J.D., University of Georgia School of Law, 2017; -
William Yekrop (Australia) *
A/HRC/WGAD/2018/20 Advance edited version Distr.: General 20 June 2018 Original: English Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its eighty-first session, 17–26 April 2018 Opinion No. 20/2018 concerning William Yekrop (Australia) * 1. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention was established in resolution 1991/42 of the Commission on Human Rights, which extended and clarified the Working Group’s mandate in its resolution 1997/50. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 60/251 and Human Rights Council decision 1/102, the Council assumed the mandate of the Commission. The Council most recently extended the mandate of the Working Group for a three-year period in its resolution 33/30. 2. In accordance with its methods of work (A/HRC/36/38), on 22 December 2017 the Working Group transmitted to the Government of Australia a communication concerning William Yekrop. The Government replied to the communication on 21 February 2018. The State is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 3. The Working Group regards deprivation of liberty as arbitrary in the following cases: (a) When it is clearly impossible to invoke any legal basis justifying the deprivation of liberty (as when a person is kept in detention after the completion of his or her sentence or despite an amnesty law applicable to him or her) (category I); (b) When the deprivation of liberty results from the exercise of the rights or freedoms guaranteed by articles 7, 13, 14, 18, -
3. Primary Decision-Making Procedures Under the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994
Chapter 3. Primary Decision-Making Procedures under the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994 This chapter will examine decision-making procedures for primary decisions and the role of policy in the Department and the Tribunals. This chapter also includes two appendices, outlining two significant new pieces of legislation – the Migration Amendment (Character and General Visa Cancellation) Act 2014 and the Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Act 2014. Part 1 – Decision-making at the primary level Visa application procedures The reasons why the Migration Act 1958 was amended with effect from 1 September 1994 to set out a detailed ‘code of procedure’ rather than relying on the common law principles of natural justice were examined in Chapter 2. The ‘code of procedure’ for making primary (Departmental) decisions1 can be found in Part 2, Division 3, Subdivision AB of the Act. Subdivision AB consists of ss 51–64 of the Act, which are entitled as follows: 51A. Exhaustive statement of natural justice hearing rule 52. Communication with Minister 54. Minister must have regard to all information in application 55. Further information may be given 56. Further information may be sought 57. Certain information must be given to applicant 58. Invitation to give further information or comments 59. Interviews 1 The Act usually refers to the ‘Minister’ as the decision maker. Subsection 496(1) provides that ‘[t]he Minister may, by writing signed by him or her, delegate to a person any of the Minister’s powers under this Act’. In practice, unless the Act specifically refers powers to the Minister personally, those powers are delegated to Departmental officers. -
The Manus Island Horror Story Stains Us
The Manus Island horror story stains us Toni Hassan The Canberra Times http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/the-manus-island- horror-story-stains-us-20171102-gzd8ac.html 3 November 2017 The closure of Australia's detention camp on the poor Papua New Guinea province of Manus Island happened on Halloween, of all days. The symbolism wasn't lost on those of us appalled by what's been an Australian-government-orchestrated horror story. This fluid crisis could have been avoided well before the PNG Supreme Court ruled the camp was illegal. Hundreds of men, many found to be genuine refugees, are now truly forsaken. Only about 60 have agreed, under some pressure, to move to three incomplete so-called transit centres that will lead to destinations unknown. Many more, about 600, would rather stay in the shell of the detention centre with no electricity, water or food than to "transfer" or walk into the Manus Island community and face violence at the hands of locals or police. Staying has its own risks. Looters are taking electric fans, plastic chairs, tables and rubbish bins while authorities look on. And the mental fragility of the remaining men is such that they could take out their frustrations on each other. Many are impaired, more so as their supply of tobacco, a incentive used by guards, has been cut off. They are jittery, at tipping point, on edge. They are staying at the compound because it gives them some sense of control. Signs held up by them on Facebook read: "If the air was in Australia's hands it would cut us" and "Pray for us". -
Mr IB and Mr IC V Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Home Affairs)
Mr IB and Mr IC v Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Home Affairs) [2019] AusHRC 129 © Australian Human Rights Commission 2019. The Australian Human Rights Commission encourages the dissemination and exchange of information presented in this publication. All material presented in this publication is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence, with the exception of: • photographs and images; • the Commission’s logo, any branding or trademarks; • content or material provided by third parties; and • where otherwise indicated. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. In essence, you are free to copy, communicate and adapt the publication, as long as you attribute the Australian Human Rights Commission and abide by the other licence terms. Please give attribution to: © Australian Human Rights Commission 2019. ISSN 1837-1183 Further information For further information about the Australian Human Rights Commission or copyright in this publication, please contact: Communications Unit Australian Human Rights Commission GPO Box 5218 SYDNEY NSW 2001 Telephone: (02) 9284 9600 Email: [email protected]. Design and layout Dancingirl Designs Printing Masterprint Pty Limited Mr IB and Mr IC v Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Home Affairs) [2019] AusHRC 129 Report into arbitrary detention Australian Human Rights Commission 2019 Contents 1 Introduction 7 2 Summary of findings and recommendations 7 3 Background 8 3.1 Mr IB 8 3.2 Mr IC 9 3.3 Current -
Immigration Detention in Nauru
Immigration Detention in Nauru March 2016 The Republic of Nauru, a tiny South Pacific island nation that has a total area of 21 square kilometres, is renowned for being one of the smallest countries in the world, having a devastated natural environment due to phosphate strip-mining, and operating a controversial offshore processing centre for Australia that has confined asylum seeking men, women, and children. Considered an Australian “client state” by observers, Nauru reported in 2015 that “the major source of revenue for the Government now comes from the operation of the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru.”1 Pointing to the numerous alleged abuses that have occurred to detainees on the island, a writer for the Guardian opined in October 2015 that the country had “become the symbol of the calculated cruelty, of the contradictions, and of the unsustainability of Australia’s $3bn offshore detention regime.”2 Nauru, which joined the United Nations in 1999, initially drew global attention for its migration policies when it finalised an extraterritorial cooperation deal with Australia to host an asylum seeker detention centre in 2001. This deal, which was inspired by U.S. efforts to interdict Haitian and Cuban asylum seekers in the Caribbean, was part of what later became known as Australia’s first “Pacific Solution” migrant deterrence policy, which involved intercepting and transferring asylum seekers arriving by sea—dubbed “irregular maritime arrivals” (IMAs)—to “offshore processing centres” in Nauru and Manus Island, Papua New Guinea.3 As part of this initial Pacific Solution, which lasted until 2008, the Nauru offshore processing centre was managed by the International Migration Organisation (IOM). -
Imagereal Capture
224 Australia’s Response to the Iraqi and Afghan Boat-People Volume 23(3) THE ‘TEMPORARY’ REFUGEES: AUSTRALIA’S LEGAL RESPONSE TO THE ARRIVAL OF IRAQI AND AFGHAN BOAT- PEOPLE HOSSEIN ESMAEILI* AND BELINDA WELLS** I. INTRODUCTION During the past year, over four thousand asylum seekers have travelled to Australia by boat, arriving without valid travel documents and seeking protection as refugees.* 1 The overwhelming majority of these new arrivals are from Iraq and Afghanistan.2 Typically, the final part of their travel to Australia has been facilitated by ‘people smugglers’ who operate from neighbouring South-East Asian countries, particularly Indonesia.3 The Australian Government has responded to these arrivals with a range of initiatives. Most controversially, it has created a two-tiered system of refugee protection: permanent protection visas are granted to those who apply for * LLB (Tehran) MA (TMU) LLM PhD (UNSW), Lecturer in Law, School of Law, University of New England. ** LLB (Adel) LLM (Lond), Lecturer in Law, School of Law, Flinders University of South Australia. The authors would like to thank the following people for their assistance during the research for this article: Robert Lachowicz, David Palmer, Tracy Ballantyne, Rohan Anderson, Stephen Wolfson, Marianne Dickie, John Eastwood, Des Hogan, Alistair Gee, Graham Thom, Shokoufeh Haghighat, Sam Berner and Michael Burnett. 1 “In 1999-00, 4 174 people arrived without authority on 75 Boats, compared with 920 on 42 Boats in 1998-9 (an increase of 354 per cent)”: Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (“DIMA”), DIMA Fact Sheet 81: Unauthorised Arrivals by Air and Sea, 25 July 2000. -
Operation Sovereign Borders
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK AUSTRALIA'S ABUSE OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS AT SEA Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. All rights reserved. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced Cover photo: Photograph of the 32,000USD which crew members told Amnesty by any method without fee for advocacy, campaigning and teaching International was paid to them by Australian officials who intercepted and boarded the boat carrying 65 asylum seekers. The payment was made around purposes, but not for resale. 24 May 2015 as confirmed by eyewitnesses. The money was found in the possession of the crew when they were apprehended by the Indonesian Police. The copyright holders request that all such use be registered with © Amnesty International them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for reuse in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable. To request permission, or for any other inquiries, please contact [email protected] © Amnesty International 2015 First published in 2015 Index: ASA 12/2576/2015 by Amnesty International Ltd Original language: English Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Printed by Amnesty International, Street, London WC1X 0DW, UK International Secretariat, UK amnesty.org CONTENTS Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... -
The Pacific Solution Or a Pacific Nightmare?: the Difference Between Burden Shifting and Responsibility Sharing
THE PACIFIC SOLUTION OR A PACIFIC NIGHTMARE?: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BURDEN SHIFTING AND RESPONSIBILITY SHARING Dr. Savitri Taylor* I. INTRODUCTION II. THE PACIFIC SOLUTION III. OFFSHORE PROCESSING CENTERS AND STATE RESPONSIBILITY IV. PACIFIC NIGHTMARES A. Nauru B. Papua New Guinea V. INTERPRETING NIGHTMARES VI. SPREADING NIGHTMARES VII. SHARING RESPONSIBILITY VIII. CONCLUSION I. INTRODUCTION The guarantee that persons unable to enjoy human rights in their country of nationality, who seek asylum in other countries, will not be returned to the country from which they fled is a significant achievement of international efforts to validate the assertion that those rights truly are the “rights of man.” There are currently 145 states,1 including Australia, that are parties to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugees Convention)2 and/or the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugees Protocol).3 The prohibition on refoulement is the key provision of the Refugees Convention. Article 33(1) of the Refugees Convention provides that no state party “shall expel or return (refouler) a refugee in any manner * Senior Lecturer, School of Law, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia. 1 As of February 1, 2004. 2 July 28, 1951, 1954 Austl. T. S. No. 5 (entered into force for Australia and generally on April 22, 1954). 3 January 31, 1967, 1973 Austl. T. S. No. 37 (entered into force generally on October 4, 1967, and for Australia on December 13, 1973). 2 ASIAN-PACIFIC LAW & POLICY JOURNAL; Vol. 6, Issue 1 (Winter -
Why Manus and Nauru Must Be Closed
Refugee Action Coalition fact sheet WHY MANUS AND NAURU MUST BE CLOSED Why are asylum seekers held on Manus and Nauru? Manus Island and Nauru first became the locations for Australia’s offshore immigration detention centres in 2001, when former Prime Minister John Howard launched the “Pacific Solution”. Labor reopened them in 2012 as part of a plan to prevent any asylum seeker arriving by boat from gaining resettlement in Australia. Liz Thompson, a former migration agent involved in refugee- assessment interviews on Manus, described the process on SBS’s Dateline as a “farce”, saying, “Manus Island is an experiment in the ultimate logic of deterrence, designed to frustrate the hell out of people and terrify them so that they go home.” Offshore detention is designed to be so brutal these assaults. One man nearly lost his arm that asylum seekers are forced into despair and following a machete attack. An Iranian asylum agree to go back home to whatever they have fled. seeker suffered a fractured skull after an attack with Dumping people in such remote locations also a metal rod as his phone and money were stolen. means denying them proper legal support and Medical and other services were already grossly medical services. Nauru is 3000 kilometres from the inadequate. In August 2014 a second asylum seeker, Australian mainland, while Manus Island lies 300 Hamid Kehazaei, died after a simple skin infection kilometres north of the main island of Papua New developed into septicaemia. Guinea. In all six refugees and asylum seekers have now died there: Kamil Hussein by drowning, Faysal Manus Island Ahmed, after also being denied proper medical care, There are around 870 refugees and asylum seekers Hamed Shamshiripour and a Tamil refugee by suicide. -
This Is Theonly Thing That You Must Do
Accountability and remedy for victims of human rights abuses Submission to the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries Panel on private military and security companies in places of deprivation of liberty, including prisons and immigrant detention facilities Geneva 27 April 2017 Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) promotes responsible conduct and respect for human rights by companies in Africa and around the world. Since its foundation in 1998, RAID has been at the forefront of efforts to strengthen mechanisms that can bring corporate misconduct to light, hold companies to account and achieve justice for victims of human rights abuses. Over the past 10 years RAID has interviewed numerous victims of PSC- related human rights violations; expatriate employees of PSCs; senior managers in the extractive industry companies that employ PSCs; and government officials who have had contractual arrangements with PSCs. International law places legal obligations on states in areas under their jurisdiction or control to provide effective legal remedies for persons who have suffered violations of their fundamental rights. This includes state responsibility to investigate and prosecute serious human rights violations, including abuses committed by corporate actors. RAID’s field experience is mainly in Africa and includes post-conflict countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it has investigated human rights abuses arising from the operations of private security guards responsible for protecting mine sites, who often work in conjunction with local police.1 In many jurisdictions around the world, laws do exist that could help to limit human rights abuses by companies, but all too often they are not applied.